Fuel feeding system for internal combustion engines



Nov. 20, 1934. c, HORTON ET AL 1,981,838

FUEL FEEDING SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Feb. 1'7, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l /44 gwuento'p 6 Evin fi orim, flag Hue;

QWVW W Nov. 20, 1934. E c. HORTON ET AL 1,981,838

FUEL FEEDING SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed-Feb. 17, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 gwuawto'o Erwz'n 6317021022, 2 Henry Huebez; 5 h3g1 Patented Nov. 20, 1934 FUEL FEEDING SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Erwin C. Horton, Hamburg, and Henry Hueber,

Buffalo, N. Y;, assignors to Trico Products Gorporation, Buffalo, N; Y. Application February 17,

' 7 Claims. (0

This invention relates to fuel feeding systemsfor internal combustion engines and particularly to devices of this character wherein means are provided at the fuel tank, which is usually dis- 5 posed at the rear of a vehicle, for enforcing a flow of fuel from the tank to the engine, under a pressure greater than atmospheric.

Heretofore, various systems have been developed which have included a lift or pump, located adjacent the engine, for drawing fuel from the fuel tank and injecting it into the engine carburetor.

In such systems the pressure, in the fuel line extending from the fuel tank into adjacency with the engine, has been less than atmospheric pressure.

This has sometimes resulted in vapor lock, or the vaporization of fuel in the fuel line which causes unevenness in the supply of fuel to the engine, the vaporization, particularly in warm weather, being acceleratedby the low pressure maintaining inthe fuel passage.

The present invention comprehends a fuel pumping device at the fuel tank of a vehicle, comprising a pair of fuel displacing chambers disposed adjacent the bottom of the tank, so that fuel may be discharged from one chamber while the other is filling, and means for alternately applying pressure for displacing fuel to the chambers.

The latter means may be operated by suction derived from the intake manifold of the engine'or other suitable'source of suction, and includes means for alternately applying fluid, taken from the atmosphere, to the chambers under a pressure greater than atmospheric, and means for venting to the atmosphere the fuel displacing chamber Which is intaking fuel from the tank.

The arrangement of the displacing chambers adjacent the bottom of the tank,and the provision for alternate operation of them, enables the device to render a substantially constant supply of fuel to the engine, independent of the fuel level in the tank. 7

) These and other objectsa'nd advantages will become apparent from the following description of one typical embodiment of the invention, refe eren'ce being'made to the accompanying drawings;wherein:

' Fig. l'is a diagrammatic side elevational'view of an automotive vehicle with a fuel feeding system of the present invention applied thereto;

I "Fig. 21s a vertical sectional view taken trans versely of Fig. 1 through the fuel pumping means at the fuel tank;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken along line 3-3 1932, Serial No. 593,574

Fig. 4 is a view taken upon substantially the same plane as Fig. 3 through the displacin'g'chamber structure illustrated at the'bottom of Fig. 2;

Figs. 5 and 6 are perspective views'of parts of the valve mechanism shown in Fig. 3; and

Fig. 7 is a plan sectional view, showing the'arrangement of fluid passages controlled by said valve mechanism.

As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle, indicated by broken lines at 11, has an engine provided with 65. an intake manifold 12 for conducting fuel and air from a carburetor 13 into the engine cylinders (not shown). A fuel reservoiror tank 14, is, according to conventional practice, mounted at the rear of the vehicle, and is connected to the carburetor bya fuel line 15. To the manifold 12 is connected a suction line or conduit 16 where-- through a flow of fluid is induced from the fuel pumping means at the tank 14 for effectinga flow offuel from the tank, through the line 15, into the carburetor, as will be more fully described hereinafter.

The fuel pumping means at the tank 14 comprises a central casting 17 to which are aflixed a pair of cylinders 18 and 19, fitted with pistons 21 and 22, respectively, which have tubular rods 23 and 24, slidable in extensions 25 of thecasting 17, and joined by a connector 26. At theends of the extensions 25 and fixed with respect to the cylinders 18 and 19 are walls 27 and 28. A pair of conduits 29 and 31 open through the walls 27 and'28' respectively and communicate respectively with valve ports 32 and 33 (see Figs. 3 and 7). A valve port 34 communicates with the suction line 16 through a nipple 35 formed on the casting 17. For alternately opening and closing fluid communication between the suction line and the chamber 36, or th'e'space between the piston 21 and wall 27, and between the suction line and the chamber 3'7, or the space between the piston 22 and wall 28, a sliding valve 38 is provided; i H

.The valve 38 has a pair of atmospheric ports 39, so arranged that when the valve opens communication between one of the ports 32 and 33 and the port 34, the other one of the ports 32 and 33 will open in the chamber 41, between the walls 27 and 28, which is open to the atmosphere by, a vent opening 42, best shown in Fig. 3. In the illustrated embodiment, the valve is actuated by a compression spring 43, which has one end connected to the valve and the opposite end engaged with a loop 44,'afiixed to a slide 45. The latter has a longitudinal slot 46 which receives a protuberance 47 formed on the connector 26, the

protuberance being adapted to abut the end walls of the slot and to thereby move the slide when the pistons and piston rods 23, 24 approach their limit positions.

It will be understood, that, with the parts in the positions shown in Fig. 2, suction maintained in the manifold 12 will be effective to withdraw fluid from the chamber 37 through the conduit 31, port 33, port 34, nipple and suction line 16. Simultaneously, atmospheric air will be effective in the chamber 27, through the vent 42, chamber 41, valve port 39, port 32 and conduit 29. Atmospheric pressure will therefore prevail against the inner face of piston 21 while suction or less- -than-atmospheric pressure will be: effective against the inner face of piston 22, urging the pistons and piston rods to the left, as the device is viewed in Fig. 2.

As the piston assembly approaches the broken, line position shown in Fig. 2, the protuberance 47 will abut the left wall of the slot 46 of slide 45, causing the slide to move with the piston assembly until the spring 43 is inclined reversely to the position illustrated, at which time it wll snap the valve 38 to the right, causing a valve port 39 to. register with port 33 and opening communication between ports 32 and 34, whereby suction will be applied to the chamber 36 atmospheric pressure to chamber 37, causing a reversal of movement, or movement to the right, of the piston assembly.

A casing 51 disposed adjacent the bottom of tank 14 has a pair of chambers 52 and 53 respectively connected to the outer ends of the cylinders 18 and 19 by conduits 54 and 55.. Between the chambers is a valve housing 56 having a port 57 opening into chamber 52 and a port 58 opening into chamber 53. A disk valve 59, operable by movement of fluid, is provided to alternately close and open the: ports. A passage, from the chambers 52, 53 through the ports 57, 58, to the fuel line 15 includes a tube 61 extending between the valve casing 56 and. the casting 17,

the latter having a passage 62 extending into a nipple 63 connected to the fuel line 15, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. A valve 64 in the casing 56 is adapted to close upon a valve seat 65 to prevent retrograde movement of fuel in the tube 61 and fuel line.

' A fuel inlet port 66, and a valve 67 therefor, are provided at the bottom of each chamber 52 and 53, the valve being operable by movement of the fuel, and a guide 68 being disposed about each valve 67 to limit its movement.

Valves 69- and 71 are adapted to close the tubular piston rods 23 and 24, respectively, each valve having a stem 72 supported by the connector 26 by a tension spring 73. The springs '73 may be very light, permitting the valves to open when the fluid pressure in the tubular piston rods 23 and 24 is but slightly greater than that in the fuel displacement chambers 52, 53 and tubes 54, 55. The tubular rods 23 and 24 have openings 74 adjacent the connector 26, whereby atmospheric pressure in chamber 41 may prevail in the rod interiors.

In operation, it will be assumed that the parts are in the relative positions shown in Fig. 2, the fuel tank being filled with fuel to the level indicated by dotted lines L. As hereinbefore de-- scribed, atmospheric pressure is being exerted upon the inner face of piston 21, while a pressure of less-than-atmospheric prevails against the inner face of piston 22, causing the piston assembly to move to the left as the device is viewed in Fig. 2. Air will be forced from the cylinder 18 by the piston 21, the valve 69 being closed, through the conduit 54, and into the displacing chamber 52. Pressure will thus be exerted upon the fuel in the chamber 52, indicated to be at the level indicated by dotted lines, closing the valve 67, and forcing fuel through the port 57, past valve 64, and through tube 61, passages 62, and the fuel line 15, to the carburetor. Valve 59 will be moved to the position shown, closing port 58, and valve 64 will be held unseated, by movement of the fuel. Simultaneously, atmospheric pressure in tank 14, exerted upon the fuel surface L will force fuel into chamber 53, displacing air therein, the air passing through tube 55 into the outer end of cylinder 19 which has been partially evacuated by movement of piston 22.

The valve 67 in chamber 53 will be opened by the ingress of the fuel. In the event the displacement of piston 22 is greater than the volume of fuel forced into the chamber 53, so that the pressure in the cylinder 19, outwardly of piston 22, falls below that of the atmosphere, the valve 71 will open by pressure of the atmosphere in the tubular rod 72, allowing fluid from the atmosphere or chamber 41 to flow into the cylinder end.

When the piston assembly approaches the limit position indicated in broken lines in Fig. 2,. the valve mechanism will reverse, as has been described hereinbefore, to effect movement of the pistons to the right. During such movement, valve 71 and valve 67 in chamber 53, will close; valve 59 will be moved to open port 58 and close port 57 and valve 67 in chamber 52 will open. According as the movement of the piston assembly to the right continues, fuel will be forced from chamber 53, through tube 61 and fuel line 15, to the carburetor; while, simultaneously, fuel from the tank 14 will fiow into chamber 52.

It will be understood, that, by reason of the valves 69 and 71, the pressure within the outer ends of the cylinders 18 and 19, tubes 54 and 55, and chambers 52 and 53 will always be substantially equal to that of the atmosphere, at the beginning of a fuel. displacing period, so that a substantially uniform supply of fuel will be pumped upon each stroke of the piston assembly; that, by reason of the closed chambers 52, 53, the device will operate when the tank 14 is open to the atmosphere, as for example, when. it is being filled; and that, since the liquid level in the chambers 52, 53 is not dependent upon the fuel level in tank 14, the device will function with equal facility when the tank is filled or when the fuel level L falls so low as to barely cover ports 66.,

It will be further understood that the specific embodiment described and illustrated is merely exemplary of the inventive principles involved, which may be advantageously applied to devices having other structural characteristics and forms, all within the purview of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a suction operated fuel pump, a pair of fuel pumping chambers below the level of a fuel reservoir, valved passages permitting unidirectional fuel movement by gravity from the reservoir into said chambers, a fuel outlet conduit for conducting fuel from the pumping chambers, and means operable by suction for alternately applying pressure greater than atmospheric upon the fuel in said pumping chambers.

2. In a fuel feeding device, a fuel reservoir, a pair of fuel pumping chambers, valved passages permitting unidirectional fuel movement by gravity from the reservoir into said chambers, an outlet conduit for conducting fuel from the pumping chambers, means operable by suction for alternately applying pressure greater than atmospheric upon the fuel in said pumping chambers, and valve means operable for admitting fluid under atmospheric pressure to said chambers when atmospheric pressure is greater than fluid pressure in said chambers.

3. In a fuel feeding device, a fuel reservoir, a fuel pumping chamber at the bottom of said reservoir and having automatic valve means permitting fuel movement into said chamber from said reservoir only, an outlet conduit for conducting fuel from said chamber, said conduit being valved for unidirectional flow of fluid, a fluid compressing chamber above the fuel level of said reservoir, said chambers being in fluid communication, piston means for alternately enlarging and contracting said compressing chamber, suction means for effecting alternate enlarging and contracting movements of said piston means, and valve means operable when atmospheric pressure is greater than the fluid pressure in said chambers for admitting fluid under atmospheric pressure to said chambers.

4. In a fuel pumping device, a fuel reservoir, a fuel pumping chamber, a valved passage permitting unidirectional fuel movement by gravity from the reservoir into said chamber, an outlet conduit for conducting fuel from the pumping chamber, and means operable by suction for alternately applying pressure greater than atmospheric upon the fuel in said pumping chamber.

5. In a fuel pumping device, a fuel reservoir, a fuel pumping chamber, a valved passage permitting unidirectional fuel movement by gravity from the reservoir into said chamber, an outlet conduit for conducting fuel from the pumping chamber, means operable by suction for alternately applying pressure greater than atmospheric upon the fuel in said pumping chamber, and valve means operable for admitting fluid under atmospheric pressure to said chamber when atmospheric pressure is greater than fluid pressure in said chamber.

6. In a suction operated fuel pump, a pair of fuel pumping chambers, valved fuel inlet passages permitting unidirectional movement of fuel into said pumping chambers, a fuel outlet conduit for conducting fuel from the pumping chambers, a pair of fluid compressing chambers, each of the latter being in fluid communication with one of said pumping chambers, and suction means for effecting alternate enlargement and contraction of said fluid compressing chambers.

7. In a suction operated fuel pumping device, a fuel reservoir, a fuel pumping chamber beneath the fuel level of the reservoir, a valved passage permitting unidirectional fuel movement from the reservoir into the pumping chamber, an outlet for conducting fuel from the pumping chamber, a fluid compressing chamber above the fuel level of the reservoir and in fluid communication with said pumping chamber, said fluid compressing chamber having wall means movable for alternate enlargement and contraction of said compressing chamber, and suction means for moving said wall means to effect such alternate enlargement and contraction.

ERWIN C. HORTON. HENRY HUEBER. 

